Is Trump playing us for suckers?

[Craig234]

if I were running a news agency, I'd refuse to give him a single line of publicity until after the Apprentice season finale.

There's this issue, that the media largely 'determine who can win' by who they choose to cover, and so editorial decisions to not cover someone have a thine line between not covering someone for a reason you agree with, and blocking the election of someone by not covering them for worse reasons.

Everyone will say 'the media should make these decisions for fair reasons, and not be kingmakers', but there is no clear definition of what's 'fair', given that 'fair' can be based on whether the person 'has a real chance', but the very fact of covering them before that can decide whether they get many votes in polls.

Then there are more arbitrary factors like the public appetite for spectacle.

This is all supposed to rely on the public having he good sense not to support a terrible candidate, but Trump's #1 standing in Republican polls addresses that.

While you and I are happy to exercise our consumer rights by not wanting to read about him, many Americans feel otherwise. And yes, money corrupts these things.

On the issue of whether he'll run, his history suggests he'll weight the pros and cons on how it benefits him, and it's mostly upside right now, increasing his 'brand'.

 

[CallMeJoe]

He has proclaimed his intention to announce his decision on his candidacy on the finale of the current season of his current TV show. How can this be seen as anything but the most brazen grab for a ratings boost?

Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American voter.....

See my sig...

 

[Fear No Evil]

He has proclaimed his intention to announce his decision on his candidacy on the finale of the current season of his current TV show. How can this be seen as anything but the most brazen grab for a ratings boost?


See my sig...

Obama used the Presidency to get some sweet book deals as well. Trump just ramps it up a notch.

 

[CallMeJoe]

... and win

How's your recent record on predicting election results?

 

[CallMeJoe]

Obama used the Presidency to get some sweet book deals as well. Trump just ramps it up a notch.

Senator Obama was just making a practice run, gaining experience for a serious candidacy in 2016. He never anticipated the utter incompetence of the Clinton campaign.

 

[IceBergSLiM]

who cares either way. Its fun to watch and I like him applying his business acumen to world politics. Shakes up the same old stale status quo the rest of the lot blabber about.

 

[woolfe9999]

Just saw an interview with him on MSN. He says that in order to lower the deficit, he WON'T:

1. Raise taxes;
2. Cut defense;
3. Cut entitlements.

Oh, and he won't raise the debt ceiling. So far as I can see, he wants to impose high tariffs. That is his solution to the debt crisis. Doh!

Honestly I don't think this guy has any actual prayer in the GOP primaries, in spite of how much popularity the birther issue has with the base. Still, he's quite the distraction.

- wolf

 

[zsdersw]

he WON'T:

1. Raise taxes;
2. Cut defense;
3. Cut entitlements.

Brilliant! /sarcasm

 

[IceBergSLiM]

My guess is he'll bail at the last possible moment. He's too centered on his net worth and has made it out to be much more than it likely is. He won't want it to come out that he's not worth as much as he says he is.

When was his last of the 3 or 4 bankruptcies? When was it that Trump defaulted on a $40 million loan? Yeah, something tells me he's not going to let the real #s out.

Last time I checked he still had his name on many large buildings sitting on ultra desirable real estate. I think he's in great shape. Don't forget bankruptcy doesn't mean much these days. On the books most banks were bankrupt in 2008. He wasn't and didn't take a bailout.

 

[nageov3t]

Just saw an interview with him on MSN. He says that in order to lower the deficit, he WON'T:

1. Raise taxes;
2. Cut defense;
3. Cut entitlements.

Oh, and he won't raise the debt ceiling. So far as I can see, he wants to impose high tariffs. That is his solution to the debt crisis. Doh!

Honestly I don't think this guy has any actual prayer in the GOP primaries, in spite of how much popularity the birther issue has with the base. Still, he's quite the distraction.

- wolf

tariffs?

listening to him talk, it sounds like he's planning on calling up the Chinese PM, shouting "your fired!" into the phone, and presto, all our debt will be gone.

 

[piasabird]

So people are mad because Trump just tells you the truth (His interpretation)?

Our current politicians are nothing but theives and crooks and you are worried about what Trump is telling you?????

Maybe we should fire everyone currently working for the Federal government or at least half of them or so????

We have borrowed so much money that we may already be in default. Maybe we are better off filing bankruptcy?????

I think people are afraid the gravy train will be cut off!

No such thing as free trade. If you believe it you are stupid! What are we selling to China? Why do we buy stuff there again? We are paying them to build up their military so maybe we should stop. Just buy stuff from Japan and Korea.

 

[the DRIZZLE]

Last time I checked he still had his name on many large buildings sitting on ultra desirable real estate. I think he's in great shape. Don't forget bankruptcy doesn't mean much these days. On the books most banks were bankrupt in 2008. He wasn't and didn't take a bailout.

And he doesn't own the most of the ones that make money. He licenses his name to a lot of other developers. His own properties tend to not be very profitable.

 

[zsdersw]

So people are mad because Trump just tells you the truth (His interpretation)?

Our current politicians are nothing but theives and crooks and you are worried about what Trump is telling you?????

 

[piasabird]

I dont think Trump is up for sainthood or anything. I just like his arrogance. Nothing wrong with some fresh opinoins and ideas.

 

[Siddhartha]

Because I enjoy political theatre I hope he runs or at least stays politically visible as long as possible. I am sure his recent polling numbers have the other potential GOP 2012
POTUS Nominees wondering WTF to do about going wing nut, ie Birther, enough to win the GOP 2012 POTUS nomination and still somehow go mainstream to win the actual election.

Didn't the GOP have trouble last November with this in Delaware and Arizona?

 

[Pens1566]

Last time I checked he still had his name on many large buildings sitting on ultra desirable real estate. I think he's in great shape. Don't forget bankruptcy doesn't mean much these days. On the books most banks were bankrupt in 2008. He wasn't and didn't take a bailout.

Ok. Whatever you say ...

 

[Craig234]

I dont think Trump is up for sainthood or anything. I just like his arrogance. Nothing wrong with some fresh opinoins and ideas.

And this is a good example of how democracy fails with 'bread and circuses' peasants who clap for the outrageous, oblivious to policy issues.

Some cheap attitude doesn't just justify watching a bad reality tv show, but supporting a terrible candidate getting support for president, degrading our political culture.

There's nothing 'fresh' about what Trump has to say - there's no defending his political support as worthwhile policy, his leading opinion being to use the birthers.

It's like letting your drunk cousin who is amusing to laugh at once in a while plan the family's weddings - which end up in the Hooter's parking lot - and do family finances.

Oh, you lost the house - well you had a good laugh at his idiocy!

 

[manimal]

So people are mad because Trump just tells you the truth (His interpretation)?
.

A child walks up to you and tells you there are monsters in the closet...its the truth (according to his interpretation)


He has a overly simplified world view and policy ideas which are clearly evident in his remarks about oil and about debt.


I know that one dimensional thinking is easy to swallow for the sheeple...


Hyperbole is easily digested by simpletons...

 

[JS80]

He's a marketing genius.

 

[manimal]

He's a marketing genius.

charlatan

 

[Craig234]

A child walks up to you and tells you there are monsters in the closet...its the truth (according to his interpretation)


He has a overly simplified world view and policy ideas which are clearly evident in his remarks about oil and about debt.


I know that one dimensional thinking is easy to swallow for the sheeple...


Hyperbole is easily digested by simpletons...

You're being too generous to Trump to call his positions 'simplistic'.

He's hugely contradicted his previous positions to pander to the crazy right.

When you look at his positions in the past, and what he's saying now, it's very difficult not to conclude there's nothing honest about him, not even being 'honestly wrong'.

Start watching at 2:00:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/42653752#42653752

 

[airdata]

Why would he? It's so much more profitable for him not to. He's a businessman, not a politician.

I don't think that matters too much. If Sarah Palin runs, she'll likely get a huge chunk of votes. And we all know she's not a politician 🙂

I'd rather see :

Than :

 

[Thump553]

Obama used the Presidency to get some sweet book deals as well. Trump just ramps it up a notch.

Provide facts to back up your assertion. Obama wrote his two books long before he became President. They weren't sweetheart deals-he made a lot of money off the books because they sold a lot of copies. And they were pretty good books too, way better than the usual chaff politicians publish.

Now if you were talking about the multimillion dollar deal Shrub got for his book, you would have a point. But hell will freeze over before you criticize a Republican.

 

[Infohawk]

One can only hope that this is an attempt to out-retard the tea-partiers so that the Republican party can nominate a respectable candidate out of disgust.

 

[manimal]

One can only hope that this is an attempt to out-retard the tea-partiers so that the Republican party can nominate a respectable candidate out of disgust.

It could be one really large performance art installation.